Kathleen Chalfant will star in the New York premiere of A Hard Heart, which will kick off the seventh season of the newly renamed Epic Theatre Ensemble.

Kathleen Chalfant
Photo by Aubrey Reuben

Will Pomerantz will direct the Howard Barker work, which begins previews Oct. 30 at the Clurman Theatre with an official opening Nov. 11. The limited engagement will play through Dec. 2. Chalfant will star as the Riddler; additional casting and the design team will be announced shortly. A Hard Heart, according to press notes, "is a prescient and electrifying play exploring the ways we protect our political and human borders. Barker's prophetic drama imagines a country facing invasion. 'Praxis' the Queen enlists the Genius 'Riddler' to devise a strategy to protect their threatened culture, but is the sacrifice too much?"

Post-show forums will follow each performance.

Kathleen Chalfant received a Tony Award nomination for her work in Tony Kushner's Angels in America: Millennium Approaches. For her performance in Wit, she earned Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Obie, Drama League, Lucille Lortel and Los Angeles Ovation awards. Chalfant also received Obie and Outer Critics Circle awards for her work in Talking Heads. The actress' other stage credits include Spalding Gray: Stories Left to Tell, M. Butterfly, Racing Demon, The Vagina Monologues, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, Henry V, Nine Armenians and the City Center Encores! production of Bloomer Girl.

The Clurman Theatre is located on Theatre Row at 410 West 42nd Street. Tickets, priced $50, will be available beginning Aug. 23 by calling (212) 279-4200 or by visiting www.ticketcentral.com.